


Cleanliness is Next to Holiness

by sunlitflowers



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Before the actual events, Bisexuality, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Past Character Death, Post-Prologue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7759429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlitflowers/pseuds/sunlitflowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Washington's hold a memorial service when Hannah and Beth are presumed dead, Sam practically moved in with Josh to help him get through this difficult time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cleanliness is Next to Holiness

Sam was the only one that didn't say anything to him during the funeral five months after they went missing. The service was more for closure and acceptance for the parents. She knew, somehow, that there wasn't anything good to say. She stayed the longest anyway and they sat in the living room of his parent's house while Mr and Mrs Washington dealt with the financial and legal obligations surrounding the mountain. There were lawyers, Ashley and Mike's parents having issues with sending their kids off up there alone in the first place. But Sam...Sam stayed the night for a few days so he wouldn't be alone. She was practically living there now. Josh liked watching her go around the house and out of the shower.

One day, she caught him staring. She looked over her shoulder and there he was. A whisper away. Sam had dated guys and girls, always leaning towards girls like Hannah. Not tonight. She stood, keeping eye contact, and hugged his neck. This isn't the strong and determined Sam. This is Josh's best friend since forever who cried more when the dog was hurt in movies than the people. He was a wounded gazelle and she a mighty lioness with the power to either eat him up or leave him be. She placed his head on her shoulder. Her gentle acts of kindness towards him were far worse. Josh had let Hannah and Beth die. Which meant, if he needed to, he could let Sam die too. And that was scaring him. 

"You can watch me if you want to. I feel safe knowing that you do." 

She shouldn't. She really shouldn't.

"Even if I put cameras up in the bathrooms?" 

Sam chuckled, leaning back. "Oh, of course! Why not take my clothes so I have to walk around in a towel?" 

She held his face between her hands, stroking the cheekbone. His hands pressed into her back. "You'd much rather see me that way." He teased her back.

"That's exactly what I want, yep." She answered, barely joking. The world stopped as they looked at each other seriously for a moment. 

Josh placed his forehead against hers and Sam leaned into it, pressing her lips to his. She brushed her fingers over his scalp and hugged his neck. It was terrible reasoning for a first kiss, but they needed to feel something else aside from grief. She sighed, letting him do whatever he wanted to with her for the time being. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he lifted and held her against a wall for support. Matt was going to be over soon. If they wanted to do anything stupid it had to be quick. Sam didn't want it to be quick with Josh. She genuinely did like him. She stopped him and for a sliver of a second saw Josh's smile. He lingered, giving her one more wet smooch to the neck before setting her down. She stayed leaning against the wall with him against her.

"You're pretty good at that." She brought back the playful banter between them. Josh was about to say something when the doorbell rang. Sam held him there for another longing, teasing kiss before sending him off.

When she and Hannah were lying together, Hannah often talked about Josh's crush on Sam. Hannah said her brother was giving off all of the signs that the magazine had said and then they'd talk about Mike. Before Sam knew what bisexual was, she'd suggest they practice kissing for when they got boyfriends. As they got older that time stopped. Josh never asked Sam out. Mike started dating Emily. It looked like things were flatlining for them both. The night Hannah and Beth died, Sam had plans to make her move. Just to see. It wasn't until after everything, when they were waiting in terror on that mountain, when Sam found Hannah's diary and learned that things would never have worked out. Without Hannah, Sam's getting over her was ten thousand times more difficult. Sam started looking at Josh in different ways gradually during the nights she stayed with him. She found him deeply buried within himself and worked to bring him out. When she did, she liked what he was. Hannah would always be her first love. She knew how completely strange and terrible it was that she kissed the brother. But...Hannah always supported it. 

"Sam, hey! It's great to see you." Matt greeted, hugging her as she came into the living room to make herself known.

"It's good to see you, too, buddy. What did you bring?"

The three of them settled on the sofa in the media room with more snacks and movies than they really should have been able to handle. Josh sat in the middle as the three of them talked more than watched the screen. Movie night was something they all used to do together. The Washington's had this projector like a drive in movie and comfortable seats, much like the one at the cabin. This was one of Sam's favorite places in the world. Matt left to go pee, not taking his attention of the phone. She leaned against Josh's shoulder. 

"Why didn't you invite Chris?" She asked. It was easy to understand why the rest of them, but not his best friend. Chris would have lightened the mood ten thousand more times. Josh and Matt never really got to know each other until the night they drank too much.

"Matt I know was passed out drunk with me." Josh explained. She was sad to hear it had to do with a few months ago. "You tried to stop it."

"Josh-"

"Yo, dudes I gotta bounce. Emily is super pissed at me."

"Why is she mad at you? Isn't that Mike's prerogative?" Sam turned her attention to Matt who suddenly froze.

"Not any...more? They kind of broke up two weeks ago. Mike's been texting some girl for a while now and Em's not chill with it."

"He's been cheating on her?" What the hell did Hannah see in this guy? Out of Matt's view, Josh took Sam's hand. 

Matt just shrugged. "I don't know any of the details. But-"

"And you're dating her. After everything she did." Josh stated, expressionless. 

Matt understood then he was in a lot more trouble. "It was...it was Jess's idea."

Josh's hold tightened. Matt left. Sam apologized "I'm so sorry."

"Jessica and Michael and Emily can go straight to hell." Josh cursed, falling to her chest.

"You know what may help? A bath. With me. We can lock everything out." She stood, pulling his hand along with her. 

 

***

 

Sam went home for the holidays while Josh went back to the cabin. In three months, it would be a year since the disappearance. She reminded him to bring his medication and to tell his therapist he'd be out.

 

***

 

The video came out of nowhere, but it wasn't shocking. They were going back to the cabin as they did every single year. Sam was happy to see Josh smiling. If he wanted to party like porn stars, well... She did owe him a Christmas present. And the cabin had an amazingly large bath.


End file.
